Mayor Bing Takes Aim At Blighted Detroit Property

DETROIT (WWJ) A big crackdown is coming on landowners with blighted property in the city. It’s all a part of Mayor Dave Bings plan to reshape Michigan.

A spokesman for the mayor speaking to the Detroit News says he’s getting tough with speculators and owners of these properties who invest in Detroit to save money on real estate, but don’t keep their properties up.

The mayor is enlisting collection agencies for those who owe for delinquent blight violations and utilizing an ordinance that requires owners of vacant property to register with the city.

Council President Charles Pugh says he worries that speculators could complicate the Detroit Works Project, potentially by demanding high prices for their properties or challenging the effort in court speaking to WWJ’s Stephanie Davis.

One landowner highlighted in the News report lives in Grosse Pointe, and owns over 1,100 properties in Detroit and has amassed reportedly about $100,00 dollars in blight violations.